ten years later
by The Ram 94
Summary: The title says it all
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Courtney

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Every day I wake up and just listen to my husband's rhythmic breathing. I wrap my arms around his muscular chest and wonder how I ever had thought that that other guy was the one.

-

Courtney awoke to the cry of a baby; her baby. The ex-CIT smiled and opened her eyes, grabbing her fuzzy mint green bathrobe from the bedroom door, and walked accross the hall to the nursery.

The walls were painted by an old friend, rainbows and fantastic flowers making a magical design. The floors were carpeted in a forest green, and the ceiling had glow-in-the dark stars glued to it. Courtney crossed the room and scooped up Audrey, her daughter. The tiny girl was almost a year old, and she had a tiny tuft of black hair on the top of her head.

Courtney rocked the baby in her arms while she walked to the kitchen. Her husband was already there, sitting at the table with a glass of milk and an omelet. "There's fresh coffee in the pot, and an omelet for you on the counter."

"Thanks," She opened the refridgerator with one hand and grabbed a bottle for Audrey. "I'm starving." She watched Audrey hold the bottle with her tiny little hands, skin just a few shades lighter than her own.

She waited until Audrey was finished and watched her fall asleep in her arms. She kissed her head and could feel her husband just behind her. "Here, can you put her back in the crib?"

"Sure," He expertly cradled their daughter in his arms and added. "We must be the luckiest parents in the world: our daughter loves to sleep and almost never has tantrums!"

She giggled, then watched him walk back down the hall. She blushed and chided herself for looking more at his butt than anything, but who could blame her? He was so handsome at the age of 26.

She grabbed her plate of food and sat down at the kitchen table, helping herself to her husband's milk. Everything was so perfect.

She idly thought back to her first marriage, which had lasted only two years.

-

Courtney's first marriage had been more fantasy than reality. They, being in the eye of the media constantly (no thanks to Chris), acted far more in love than they were, and that caused them to wonder just how in love they were. They began looking at other people, wondering if all they needed to rekindle the flames was a baby.

They tried and tried, but every time they tried, they failed. There was never a baby, and they began to feel as if they were using each other. Eventually, they divorced, and the press swarmed around them like ants around a half-eaten peach. Courtney hadn't been able to talk to Bridgette, seeing as she was half-way around the world at the time, and she felt like all her friends didn't understand.

So she confided in Trent.

Trent understood her, he made her feel special, made her feel loved. She found herself wanting to be more than friends with him. He would stop by her apartment everyday just to ask how she was.

Then, one night, they'd kissed. It was so automatic, like clockwork. He'd been rushing out the door, late for a gig with his band, and had pecked her on the lips. He'd turned to walk out the door, then stopped, realizing what he'd just done. He'd slowly turned and looked at Courtney's pleasantly shocked face.

"Do you wanna go out sometime?"

"Of course!"

A year later, they'd gotten married. Then Audrey had come along two years later.

-

"Court," Trent whispered. "I have to go, the guys are waiting for me." Courtney looked up at his green eyes. "I love you." He kissed her softly, lips barely brushing against hers.

"I love you, too. Don't forget to call."

Then he left to go rehearse with his band, who still, surprisingly, hadn't released an album.

Courtney rinsed off her plate, rinsed out Trent's glass, and slipped into her home-office. It was a cozy little room with books stacked all over the place and a large cherrywood desk.

Courtney was a writer.

She'd written her first book at age 16 (Total Triumph for Teens), and ever since had been writing. Currently she was working on a novel about four teens on a reality TV show who'd been paired up against their will because the host wanted more viewers. The Goth girl and the Musician, the Punk and the C.I.T. She'd modeled all the characters after the friends and enemies on Total Drama Island, but decided that the C.I.T. (she named her Emilie) would not go for the punk, like she had, but would instead fall for the musician.

She grabbed a pen and began writing the next chapter in which Graham (the musician) and Emilie had a secret meeting in the woods.

Life was good. 


	2. Chapter 2

Who travels for love finds a thousand miles not longer than one.

- Japanese Proverb

-

I ve often found myself wondering if I ll ever see him again. No, not Duncan, not Trent, not even Cody. I wonder if I ll ever see Xander again.

-

Gwen was bustling around her tiny little New York apartment with three cans of paint and a very tiny paintbrush. She d bought the apartment a long time ago and knew that no one would care if she painted the walls. If they did, she wouldn t give a damn. She passed one wall that was completely covered in mirrors and caught sight of herself. She was wearing a paint-spattered black t-shirt with a pair of jeans. Her face was still pale, but now covered in smudges of bright paint, and lacking in a depressing frown.

Gwen smiled, then pulled on the collar of her shirt and looked at the tattoo on her shoulder.

It was a bat.

She shuddered, remembering how she and Xander had gotten the tattoos together for their anniversary. Xander and Gwen had met at the Art Institute of New York City. Gwen had always loved designing clothes, most of her clothes were sewn together in her room, and she d pursued that interest after Total Drama the Musical (the third season) by going to college for fashion design.

Once there, she d met Xander, or, as she called him at that time, Professor Alexander. He was one of her teachers, standing in front of the room with his suit and long black braid. He had one ear pierced with a fang, and Gwen was relieved to learn he wasn t gay (like her other dreamboat teacher, Mr. Scheal).

Her very first day in class, he d winked at her. She d blushed and winked back, noticing the jealous glares from her fellow students. She made a point to do well in his class, and she spent a little extra time in his classroom, being very slow about picking up her notebooks and shoving them in her black tote. It took a year for him to finally ask her out. We ll have to be really quiet about it though. It ll look really bad if I suddenly start going out with one of my students, even if we re very close to the same age. They d decided to go to a museum.

Somehow, Gwen had been pulled back into the media s eye. It was something about Courtney and Duncan breaking up and basically disappearing. Gwen apologized again and again for the terrible date, which had been filled with reporters and unexpected flashes of light. He d just smiled and said that there was no need and that he d had a great time, regardless of the annoying press.

After that first (and worst) date, they d simply hung out on campus and talked. This attracted much attention, seeing as they'd been caught kissing a few times, and Xander was soon fired. He didn t really seem to care, saying that the job was too grey for him anyhow. So, while Gwen continued her education, he sat in his apartment looking for a job.

It was about two years before he found a job. All the while the two had been dating, happy as can be. Xander had even moved into Gwen's apartment!

The job required Xander to go on long business trips, but Gwen told him to take it.

He'd proposed to her on the spot, saying that he wanted to make sure no one was going to waltz between them while he was away. She'd cried and squealed her reply, then they'd began planning the wedding.

All was well until the day of the wedding when Xander had disappeared. Gwen was shocked to find out that his boss had come between them, forcing Xander on another business trip. When Xander returned, Gwen was too hurt to take him back, even if it wasn't his fault.

That was one month ago.

-

Gwen sniffed and turned away from the mirror, looking instead at the half-painted wall behind her. It was black with thin strips of blue. The same shade of blue that streaked her hair. She was just finishing up the butterfly that she d painted flying over the stripes when someone knocked on the door. She wiped her hands off on a grimy rag and opened it to find none other than Xander.

"Hi, Gwen." He raised his hand in a half-wave and the ex-goth slammed the door in his face. He knocked again, and she didn't answer. Finally, he simply began talking through the door. "Gwen, please take me back. I miss you so much!"

"And I suppose you missed me on our wedding day too, huh?"

"You know I didn't have a choice, I was going to loose my job."

"Since when is a job more important than me?"

"Since I turned into a jackass." That caught her attention. "Gwen, c'mon, let me in, that perverted old woman across the hall could be out here any minute."

She smiled, then remembered she was mad and opened the door a crack, just enough to see outside.

Xander looked as if he hadn't changed his clothes in a week, and his normally braided hair was cascading down his back.

"What the hell is with you? Haven't you showered?"

"I kinda can't afford it, I quit my job."

"You quit?! Why, you dumb jackass?!" She flung the door open and glared at him. "Now you're coming back to me so you can mooch money, is that it?"

"No, I'm coming back to you to see if you'll take me back." He waltzed right past her and into the apartment. "I love the patterns and designs on the walls, A plus."

"Thanks, now leave."

Then he hugged her. He hugged her gently, as if afraid she might break in his arms. Gwen had always loved that. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

She opened her mouth to reply bout found something stopping her.

His lips.

She inwardly swooned as Xander kissed her deeply, taking away all the anger and hate she'd felt.

When they broke apart, panting, she said: "So you really quit, just for me?"

He nodded.

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Good, I can't stay mad at you when you kiss me like that."

"Ha ha, my evil plan worked!"

"Indeed it did."

They retreated into Gwen's bedroom, and the rest, as they say, was magic. 


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up and looked over at my husband. His brown hair was starting to cover his eyes, but he didn't want a hair cut. I had been trying to convince him for the past 3 months, but he insisted on growing it out. He thought he looked better with long hair and was thinking of putting it in a pony tail, but I kept trying to tell him its a bad idea. He thought he knew everything, so I just let him think it. Its been 6 years since we got together and only 3 months since we had been married.

"Cody, Cody wake up babe."

"Let me sleep, please."

"I can't we have work to do today. Come on, if you get up now, I'll make breakfast."

Cody shot up in bed.

"Alright, I'm up."

"Good, now lets get down to the kitchen and I'll make us breakfast." The two of them got dressed then walked down the stairs and Cody went to the living room to watch the news and Noah went to the kitchen and made them breakfast. Yes, he and Cody had gotten married after they got out of college. It had been 5 years and they couldn't be happier. They both had jobs at the local college. Cody was a professor of science and Noah of Geometry. The best part of their work is that they were always able to spend their lunch break together. No one judged them and just about every student liked them. They stayed after to help students, no matter how long it took. The two of them loved helping students, and the students loved the help. Noah fixed them both some toast, eggs and got them both a cup of coffee. They say on the couch and watched the news. The only thing that was interesting was, well nothing, its Canada. Nothing interesting happens in Canada (no offense). After they finished breakfast, Cody took their plates, silverware and glasses into the kitchen then washed them, then joined Noah back in the living room to grade homework. Most of the kids were able to pass their tests, but a few of them who didn't study so they failed.

"Cody, do you think we should adopt a child?"

"Noah, you know I want kids, but not right now. We have alot going on, so I don't know if we can handle a child."

"K, what do we have planned for today?"

"Nothing, all we had to do was grade those papers. So we can sit around and watch some TV or go on a walk."

"Let's go for a walk." The two of them put on their shoes and jackets and walked out into the October sky.

I'm done with this. you want it take it. however why don't we make this interesting. whoever takes the story, make sure not only is dipishanz credited for it, but credit me then after you do a chap, put it up and we'll see who takes it from there so we can see the arts of others

RAM 


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